Akihabara News (Tokyo) — President Kotaro Takamura of the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo city, Nagasaki Prefecture, has requested that the central government come to a quick decision on whether or not to grant a license to the major casino resort project that could be built next door.
“Our business strategy would be completely different depending on whether or not it will be built,” he observed. He added that “Japan’s tourism industry is at a major turning point.”
Takamura has just been brought in to rejuvenate Huis Ten Bosch, a theme park based on traditional Dutch culture, after the coronavirus downturn. He expressed the view that the park needs to expand its attractions in order to retain its status as a major tourist draw in western Japan.
Takamura previously worked at Tokyo Disney Resort, where he had a key role in expanding DisneySea attractions.
Last September, Huis Ten Bosch was acquired by PAG, one of Asia’s largest investment companies, after a long period owned by the travel company H.I.S. The purchase price was around ¥100 billion (US$675 million).
Nagasaki Prefecture and the Casinos Austria consortium submitted their proposal to build a ¥438 billion (US$3 billion) casino resort in April 2022, but eighteen months later the central government has yet to decide on whether or not to license it. Tokyo is reportedly concerned that the project may lack the financing to deliver the Integrated Resort on the scale which has been promised.
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